Vegan travel tips offered at potluck dinner gathering

Maria Giurcan, author of ‘How to Travel the World as a Vegan,’ was the speaker at the January meeting of the Northern Connecticut Vegetarian Society. Photos by Martha Marteney.

For those with special dietary needs, traveling is often more of a chore than a pleasant experience. This can be especially true for vegans, or people who do not consume any animal products, including meat, dairy products, eggs or honey. Many vegans also abstain from the use of any animal products, such as leather, silk, wool and other animal by-products. For the vegan, traveling requires planning in order to enjoy the trip.

The Northern Connecticut Vegetarian Society invited Maria Giurcan to speak at its Jan. 29 potluck meeting on the topic, “Vegetarian/Vegan Travel – It’s easier than you think.” Giurcan is the author of “How to Travel the World as a Vegan” and also writes the blog, “Vegan World Trekker.” She shared travel tips based on her own experience in traveling to six continents. “The world is gorgeous,” said Giurcan. “Don’t limit yourself because of your eating choices.” She discussed the importance of researching the availability and locations of vegan restaurants, airlines and accommodations. In addition, she suggested several vegan products to carry on a trip, from sun block to snacks.

Amy and Brian Riley, of Lebanon, are both vegan and decided to join in the January potluck as a way to meet other vegans. This month’s featured speaker was of special interest to them. “We travel a lot,” said Brian, “and wanted to learn how to travel being vegan.”

Giurcan’s travel tips included bringing pre-packaged meals and snacks not only on the airplane, but for the hotel as well, just in case. She also provided several names of companies that specialize in vegan luggage and shoes, which, in addition to being non-leather, do not use glue made from animal by-products. She noted that many skincare products are tested on animals, which is an issue for vegans wanting to live an animal-cruelty-free lifestyle.

There are several travel tools, from websites to travel guides to phone applications, to help travelers find vegan-friendly businesses. Guerin noted that it is important to understand the culture of the country being visited in order to properly plan. For example, in some countries, vegetarian dishes do not necessary exclude ghee, which is made from butter, or fish bones. In such instances, the vegan needs to be able to adequately explain his dietary needs, either through translation books or even by showing photos of what is or is not acceptable.

At the same time, Giurcan assured people that it is possible to sample regional cuisine that has been adapted to be vegan. She cited examples of eating local specialties in Iceland, Peru, Brazil and South Africa, countries which are stereotypically more carnivorous. “I tried their national recipes ‘veganized,’” said Giurcan.

“Vegan Honeymoons” is another online business recently founded by Giurcan, which organizes the entire honeymoon package, from airfare to accommodations to eco-friendly tours. The website for her business is veganhoneymoons.com, and she can be reached at veganhoneymoons@gmail.com.

Giurcan decided to become a vegetarian at the age of 8 during a third-grade class on animals. She remembers thinking, “Animals die for our food, and they don’t have to.” She decided to become vegan 10 years ago after learning about the short life span of dairy cows. “For me, it was all ethical,” said Giurcan, “not health-related.”

“I eat healthy, and I’m always looking for healthy things to eat,” said Judy Cohen of Longmeadow, Mass. Although not vegetarian, Cohen said she enjoys the meetings and the speakers, and tries to make as many of the monthly potlucks as she can.

“Mostly, it’s just nice to be here and be surrounded by like-minded people,” said Glastonbury resident Maribeth Abrams about the NCVS potluck. After the speaker, everyone makes their dinner selections from the potluck items, which are separated into specifically raw foods and the other vegan items.

For information about upcoming events, visit the Northern Connecticut Vegetarian Society website at northctveg.org. The website provides information about vegetarian and vegan meetings throughout New England, as well as news articles and suggested reading. The monthly potluck is held at the Carniglia Senior Center, 41 Oak St. in Windsor Locks. Guests each bring a healthy vegan dish for the potluck and their own place setting (plate, cup and utensils). An $8 donation is requested of adults to help pay for the space, the website, and other costs.